Motormouth From Ipoh – A Malaysian Food Blog

I have to admit I was never a fan of dining in Chinese restaurants. Wait, let me rephrase that. I was never a fan of the higher-end restaurants usually utilized for wedding banquets and celebrations.

So far, I have written only about Mun Choong Restaurant when we had a gathering there last year, and a simple lunch at Tung Hoi (East Ocean) Restaurant in Chemor. Of course, there was the recent wedding dinner at Hee Lai Ton, but that’s a different story altogether. The other BIG names like Kok Thai, Sun Lee How Fook and Tai Thong (now changed to Royal China) were not reviewed because either the meal was not satisfactory or the occasion was another banquet whereby I felt funny snapping the food while everyone’s salivating uncontrollably (you know Chinese wedding dinners and punctuality NEVER go together!).

Fantastic, melt-in-mouth Char Siew (caramelized, barbecued pork) with crispy roasted suckling pig (RM30/USD9)

That is, until I read about Oversea Restaurant‘s (www) fantastic Char Siew and “Ham Yue Fah Lam Pou” (Claypot Braised Pork Belly with Salted Fish); a to-die-for dish if you’re a lover of anything pungent and savoury, and goes perfectly with copious portion of white rice to lap up the juices. No thanks to the many hungry foodies over at the Facebook page …..

Oversea Restaurant (also known as Haewaytian) has TWO outlets in Ipoh now, the spanking new branch over at Jalan Datoh near to Srimaju bus station in town, a short distance away from the famous See See Heng Hor Hee stall. Read on to find out what other dishes we ordered at the original Oversea Restaurant facing Excelsior Hotel …. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Fresh Oyster baked in Cheese - RM13.80/USD4.20

Now let me share my current favourite Japanese restaurant in Ipoh with you readers. Previously I was an ardent fan of Akamomiji‘s, until the last few visits that revealed some rather poorly executed cooked dishes, and mediocre service. Waraku became our favourite then, with their cheap RM15 lunch sets available on weekdays, with close to 20 choices. And they STILL grill some of the best kushi yaki in town (grilled meats and vegetables on skewers, like our satay without accompanying dipping sauce), bar none.

Of course there’s the Kizuna which I have neglected since the first review, A Lai I that cooks up a variety of mean teppan yaki dishes, and Sushi East that well, best left unsaid.

Still remains a mystery as to why I have not written about Kampai yet, possibly the first and definitely longest running Japanese restaurant in Ipoh. Kampai serves what could be the most value-for-money set lunch (around RM15 each) with sizeable portions, and lots of varieties.

Resembling an “Izakaya” (a type of Japanese drinking establishment) more than a full-fledged restaurant, Tengood serves a myriad of light snacks, finger foods aside from salads, sushi and sashimi, and they serve PORK as well.

And so there we were on a fine evening, seeking for a bite (or slurp?) of supposedly fresh and plump oysters. (*Pardon the incompetence, I failed to inquire about on which days they got their freshest supplies of seafood, but give them a ring and the lady will be glad to inform you). I visited Tengood a few times before this, for lunch usually since the place is located right smack in the midst of a bustling Greentown Business Centre which is close to my previous working place.

Wanna know why this particular Japanese restaurant impressed me so much that evening? Read on to find out ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

For two weeks in a row this month, work takes us to the west of Perak. Last week, we were put up at Orient Star Resort (www) in Lumut for 3 days. Lumut is the pier town before one takes the ferry to the more glitzy Pangkor Island. Situated about 10 minutes away from Seri Manjung and Sitiawan, seeking for FOOD and FUN (in whatever way you wish to interpret this) has never been a hassle. (If you’re lost on what to eat, you can refer to my constantly-updated list of Perak Food Guide)

Orient Star @ Lumut - Gorgeous right? You can imagine wailing hours after hours waddling in the pool, underneath the scorching-ly delicious sun. Now if ONLY the trip was not solely for work.

A little resemblance to Eastern & Oriental Hotel on Penang Island? Shades of a pre-colonial residence preserved til this very day?

But of course, if you’ve been an ardent follower of this blog (Hehe, I am so over myself here ….but allow me to, for I’ll tell you why at the end of the post!) you would have known that Motormouth does not go outstation without at least slipping out for a meal or two. And it’s no difference for this short exodus to Lumut. Albeit, for a very short seafood dinner and a movie (Predators, in case you’re curious) in Sitiawan …. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

This new ‘chu char station’ at Ting Feng Restaurant is named Sun Wah Hing, and started business back in April of 2010.

Strange title for a food post? Yup, folks …. this is another one of those Motormouthing extravaganza. Bear with me.

Ting Feng Restaurant is located at a corner lot in Medan Ipoh Baru; the area behind of Jusco Kinta City. Specifically, this restaurant is directly behind of K10 Claypot Chicken Rice which I wrote about back in 2008 when I first started blogging.

The 80 years old uncle (he claimed) that prides on his defiant soul, adamantly withstanding ignorance and curses, selling packets of tissue and playing on his er-hu, trying to make ends meet.

We visited Ting Feng once, sometime in 2009. Before I had the chance to write about the dinner (which was okay), the ‘chu char‘ stall shifted (or ceased operations?). Then we never returned again …. until this very visit.

The yellow banner proudly proclaiming THREE crabs for RM19.80 was like a magnet; sucking us in into the swirl of possible lip-smacking, crabby experience. And a Tilapia Fish for only RM13? Sounds too good to be true.

So why oh why …. was I fuming at the end of the meal? Read on to find out …. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Steamed Freshwater Prawns with Egg whites - Lined up remarkably with their vibrant orange-hued shells and some with golden luscious roes oozing from the smashed heads!

Tanjung Tualang is a small town located about 40km away from Ipoh town. No doubt the township is almost synonymous for its very famous freshwater prawns, aside from the infamous tin dredge near to Chenderoh (a short distance away from Tanjung Tualang) which was (and probably still is) precariously threatened with the prospects of being submerged in the waters. The tin dredge was opened to the public at a fee, but not sure if it’s still offering the tour in and around the dredge. (You can view some great shots from brandoneu’s blog here)

At a corner lot in the square formation of one-storey shoplots forming the perimeters surrounding the market, Yew Kei Seafood Restaurant appeals more to the locals, and came highly recommended from not one, not two, but a few of my friends and relatives staying in the town, or nearby.

Now let’s get to the more interesting part of this post; the FOOD. Or might as well categorize them as SEAfood. Or in particular; the Tanjung Tualang’s famous freshwater prawns. They come in various sizes, with their respective prices. A kilogram of the L-sized prawns cost RM78/USD23.60, a kg of M-L sized ones will set you aback at RM68/USD20.60, while the M-sized ones are priced at RM60/USD18 per kg.

I went to Luen Fong Restaurant once before, about a year ago, and prior to that, Lung Seng sometime back in 2008. Both of the restaurants were good, the latter being the better choice for me personally, for the freshwater prawns fared much better. But of course, there are detractors that swear by Luen Fong’s prolific legacy (they were even featured in a Guangzhou food documentary, aside from the local ones). So why did I pick Yew Kei this time around, a relatively unknown name that has been dwarfed by the other giants? Read on to find out ….. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Has the Motormouth lost his mind? Or teeth, going for Baby Food now (those gooey, yucky stuff) instead of raw, crunchy and fiery delights?

Whatever it was, I sure did not regret bumping into Reana’s post HERE, on how she relished every bite (or rather, spoonful) of the braised yam/taro with dried shrimps. Listed as “Xia Mi Yam” in the menu, you might be wondering aloud what in the world is that ancient-sounding Chinese dish. A clever combination that worked wonders for us, the other dishes at Weng Kee Seafood did not disappoint one bit. Understandable, considering that the chef of the restaurant, Mr Chan has been donning his aprons and frying up the wok for a good 30 years now. CONTINUE READING THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »